Teacher – Writer – Humanitarian

Operation: Remembering Veterans

Every veteran has a story, lessons, and memorable events in history to share.

I have always been passionate about remembering veterans and giving them the respect they deserve. Back in high school, I completed my Gold Award in Girl Scouts. (The Gold Award is very similar to the Eagle Award in Boy Scouts.) For this project, I created tributes for veterans at a local senior citizens center. Each solider and their family got a special scrapbook with the military story inside. In addition, I designed a memorial (pictured above) for the center. “Operation: Remembering Veterans” was inspired by my own grandfather’s World War II stories.

To make a long story short, my point is that every veteran’s stories and experiences deserve to be remembered. These tales are part of history and once that person is gone, we can never get the stories back.

My task for you is to write down and create a tribute for the special veteran(s) in your life. Make sure their story is available for many generations to come. Interview them, ask questions, and see if they have any mementos or pictures from their military time.

Don’t know a veteran? Go to a local nursing home, veterans’ hospital, or senior center and work with them there. Trust me, a simple “thank you” and a simple tribute, such as this, can go a long way. Plus, you can even get their story put into the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress.